Sutera plant named ‘Bacoble’

ABSTRACT

A new and distinct cultivar of Sutera plant named ‘Bacoble’, characterized by its mounded, low spreading and cascading plant habit; freely and continuous branching habit; and numerous salverform flowers that are violet blue in color.

BOTANICLA CLASSIFICATION/CULTIVAR DESIGNATON

Sutera cordata cultivar Bacoble.

BACKGROUND OF THE INVENTION

The present Invention relates to a new and distinct cultivar of Suteraplant, botanically known as Sutera cordata, and hereinafter referred toby the cultivar name Bacoble.

The new Sutera is a product of a planned breeding program conducted bythe Inventor in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia. The objective ofthe breeding program is to create new Suteras with numerous violetblue-colored flowers.

The new Sutera originated from a cross made by the Inventor in 1998 of aproprietary Sutera selection identified as X96.3.1, not patented, as thefemale, or seed parent, with a proprietary Sutera selection identifiedas X96.3.2, not patented, as the male, or pollen parent. The new Suterawas selected as a single plant from the resulting progeny by theInventor in 1998, in Cobbitty, New South Wales, Australia, on the basisof its numerous violet blue-colored flowers.

Asexual reproduction of the new cultivar by terminal cuttings taken inCobbitty, New South Wales, Australia since 1998 has shown that theunique features of this new Sutera are stable and reproduced true totype in successive generations.

SUMMARY OF THE INVENTION

Plants of the cultivar Bacoble have not been observed under all possibleenvironmental conditions. The phenotype may vary somewhat withvariations in environment such as temperature, light intensity anddaylength without, however, any variance in genotype.

The following traits have been repeatedly observed and are determined tobe the unique characteristics of ‘Bacoble’. These characteristics incombination distinguish ‘Bacoble’ as a new and distinct cultivar:

1. Mounded, low spreading and cascading plant habit.

2. Freely and continuous branching.

3. Numerous salverform flowers that are violet blue in color.

Plants of the new Sutera differ primarily from plants of the parentselections in flower color as plants of the new Sutera have much darkerviolet blue-colored flowers than plants of either parent selection.

Plants of the new Sutera can be compared to plants of the Suteracultivar Lavender Showers, disclosed in U.S. Plant patent applicationSer. No. 09/450,098. In side-by-side comparisons conducted in Cobbitty,New South Wales, Australia, plants of the new Sutera differed fromplants of the cultivar Lavender Showers primarily in flower color asplants of the new Sutera have darker violet blue-colored flowers.

BRIEF DESCRIPTION OF THE PHOTOGRAPHS

The accompanying colored photographs illustrate the overall appearanceof the new cultivar, showing the colors as true as it is reasonablypossible to obtain in colored reproductions of this type. Colors in thephotographs may differ slightly from the color values cited in thedetailed botanical description which accurately describe the colors ofthe new Sutera.

The photograph at the top of the sheet comprises a side perspective viewof three typical flowering plants of ‘Bacoble’ grown in a 21.5-cmcontainer.

The photograph at the bottom of the sheet comprises a close-up view of atypical leaves and flowering stems of ‘Bacoble’.

DETAILED BOTANICAL DESCRIPTION

The aforementioned photographs and following observations andmeasurements describe plants grown in Encinitas, Calif., in an outdoornursery under full sunlight conditions during the late winter and earlyspring with day temperatures averaging 18° C. and night temperaturesaveraging 13° C. Plants were grown for 18 weeks in 21.5-cm containerswith three plants per container and were pinched one time. Colorreferences are made to The Royal Horticultural Society Colour Chart,version 1995, except where general terms of ordinary dictionarysignificance are used.

Botanical classification: Sutera cordata cultivar Bacoble.

Parentage:

Female parent.—Proprietary Sutera cordata selection identified asX96.3.1, not patented.

Male parent.—Proprietary Sutera cordata selection identified as X96.3.2,not patented.

Propagation:

Type cutting.—Terminal vegetative cuttings.

Time to initiate roots.—Summer: About 8 days at 28° C. Winter: About 12days at 15° C.

Time to develop roots.—Summer: About 21 days at 28° C. Winter: About 28days at 15° C.

Root description.—Fine and fibrous.

Rooting habit.—Freely branching.

Plant description:

Form.—Initially upright, then low spreading and cascading; uniform;plants eventually becoming hemispherical to spherical in shape. Freelybranching with lateral branches potentially forming at every node.Vigorous growth habit.

Plant height.—About 8 cm.

Plant diameter.—About 36 cm.

Lateral branches.—Length: About 40 cm. Diameter: About 1.5 mm. Internodelength, mature: About 3 cm. Texture: Pubescent; tiny white hairs. Color:Mature: More gray than 187A. Young: 144B.

Foliage description.—Arrangement: Opposite; simple. Quantity per lateralbranch: About 22. Length: About 1.7 cm. Width: About 1.2 cm. Shape:Ovate. Apex: Broadly acute. Base: Obtuse. Margin: Serrate. Texture:Upper surface: Smooth, glabrous. Lower surface: Pubescent. Venationpattern: Pinnate. Fragrance: Spicy. Color: Young foliage, upper surface:144A. Young foliage, lower surface: 144B. Mature foliage, upper surface:137A. Mature foliage, lower surface: 137C. Venation, upper surface:137A. Venation, lower surface: 137C. Petiole length: About 3 mm. Petiolediameter: About 1 mm. Petiole color: 147B.

Flower description:

Flower type and habit.—Solitary axillary flowers; salverform; slendercorolla tubes flare abruptly into five rounded lobes. Flowerspersistent. Very freely flowering; typically two flowers per node andabout 25 buds and flowers per lateral branch over the production time ofthe plant. Flowers face mostly upward or outward.

Natural flowering season.—Plants typically flower from spring untilfall; flowering continuous during this period.

Flower longevity on the plant.—About 3 to 4 days.

Fragrance.—Not detected.

Flower size.—Diameter: About 1.3 cm. Tube length: About 8 mm. Throatdiameter, distal end: About 3 mm. Tube diameter, proximal end: About 2.5mm.

Flower buds (showing color).—Length: About 6 mm. Diameter: About 2 mm.Shape: Obovate. Color: 92B.

Corolla.—Quantity/arrangement: Five fused petals; slender corolla. tubeflaring abruptly into five rounded lobes. Petal lobe length from throat:About 5 mm. Petal lobe width: About 3 mm. Petal lobe shape: Roughlyspatulate. Petal lobe apex: Rounded. Petal lobe margin: Entire. Texture:Smooth, velvety. Color: Petal lobe, upper surface, when opening: 92A.Petal lobe, lower surface, when opening; 92B. Petal lobe, upper surface,fully opened: 92B; color fading to 92C to 92D with subsequentdevelopment. Petal lobe, lower surface, fully opened: 92C. Flower throat(inside): 17A. Flower tube (outside): Towards apex, 92C; towards base,8C.

Sepals.—Arrangement/appearance: Single whorl of five sepals fused atbase; shallow cup-shaped calyx. Calyx length: About 5 mm. Calyxdiameter: About 2.5 mm. Shape: Narrow, linear. Apex: Narrowly acute.Margin: Entire. Texture, upper and lower surfaces: Slightly pubescent.Color: Upper surface: 144B. Lower surface: 144A.

Peduncles.—Length: About 7 mm. Width: Less than 1 mm. Angle: About 45°from the stem. Strength: Strong; slender. Texture: Smooth. Color: 144A.

Reproductive organs.—Stamens: Quantity per flower: Five. Anther shape:Reniform. Anther length: Less than 1 mm. Anther color: 12A. Pollenamount: Scarce. Pollen color: 12A. Pistils: Quantity per flower: One.Pistil length: About 1 cm. Style length: About 9 mm. Style color: 151D.Stigma shape: Club-shaped. Stigma color: 151A. Ovary color: 144C.

Seed/fruit.—Seed nor fruit production has not been observed.

Disease/pest resistance: Plants of the new Sutera have not been noted tobe resistant to pathogens or pests common to Sutera.

Tempeature tolerance: Plants of the new Sutera have been observed totolerate temperatures from 4 to 33° C.

It is claimed:
 1. A new and distinct cultivar of Sutera plant named‘Bacoble’, as illustrated and described.